Handwheel connecting means for cylinder valve



Nov. 15, 1966 D. D. HOCKETT 3,

HANDWHEEL CONNECTING MEANS FOR CYLINDER VALVE Filed Nov. 30, 1964 15 57/672 for:

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United States Patent 3,285,641 HANDWHEEL CONNECTING MEANS FOR CYLINDER VALVE Donald D. Hockett, Villa Park, Ill., assignor to Fisher Governor Company, a corporation of Iowa Filed Nov. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 414,640 2 Claims. (Cl. 28753) This invention relates to cylinder valves and, more particularly, to improved connecting means for permanently afiixing a handwheel to a valve stem in such cylinder valve without the necessity of any tools.

Heretofore, the handwheel for rotating the valve stem to open and close the valve element within a control valve or cylinder valve has been aflixed to the valve stem by means of a screw, retaining ring, or like fastening member. Such connecting means require a tool to permanently connect the handwheel to the valve stem. Time is required to align and affix the screw or retaining ring to the valve stem and as is apparent, extra time means loss of money, especially in mass production fabrication and assembly of such valves.

'An object of this invention is to provide improved means for connecting a handwheel to a valve stem without the necessity of tools. Such improved .means comprise a handwheel molded intergrally from plastic and having a central opening therethrough, with the configuration of the opening being complementary to the exterior configuration of the top of the valvestem, said handwheel including a top upon which is formed retaining fingers for aflixing the handwheel to the valve stem.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder valve having improved means for permanently connecting the handwheel to the valve stem without the necessity for any tools, the handwheel being molded from plastic and having a central opening therethrough conforming to the external configuration of the valve stem, the top of the handwheel being formed with a pair of opposed finger extensions spaced apart a distance equal to the width of a reduced portion of the valve stem and being greater than the width of the enlarged rim on the top of the valve stem, the finger extension s being movable outwardly from the top of the handwheel to permit passage of an enlarged rim on the valve stem through the opening in the handwheel beyond the upper surface of the handwheel and said finger extensions being engaged beneath the enlarged rim to prevent removal of the handwheel from the valve stem after assembly thereto. Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent hereafter.

The specific structural details and their mode of functioning will be made most manifest and particularly pointed out in clear, concise and exact terms in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein like numerals refer to like elements and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view of a cylinder valve embodying the improved connecting means of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the handwheel alone;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cylinder taken along line 33 of FIGURE 1, showing the bottom of the handwheel; and

FIGURE 4 is a detail cross-sectional view of the handwheel and valve stem during assembly operation.

Referring to the drawing, there isillustrated in FIG- URE 1 a cylinder valve or control valve embodying the present invention. The cylinder valve 10 comprises a valve body 11 having a passageway 12 defined therethrough, a disc holder and diaphragm subassembly 13 for selectively engaging the valve seat 14 to control the flow of fluid through the passage 12, and handwheel means including a valve stem 15 and a handle 16 operatively connected to the valve stem for actuating the disc holder subassem'bly 13. The housing or body 11 may be made from any suitable material depending largely upon the fluid with which the cylinder valve will be used.

The housing 11 is provided with an externally threaded inlet 18 which is adapted to be connected to a source of liquefied gas as, for example, the top of a liquefied gas container.

An outlet '20, which is positioned at substantially right angles to the inlet 18, is adapted to communicate the gas flowing through the passageway 12 to a conduit for communication with the point of use.

A spring-actuated relief valve 22 is provided in the housing 11. The relief valve 22 is adapted to seat against an annular wall 24 defining an outlet port from the passageway 12. The relief valve 22 may be biased to the closed position by the spring 26 which is disposed between the washer backing the safety relief valve 22 and the end cap 28 which is affixed to the boss 27 on the body or housing 11.

The valve stem 15 is operatively connected to the disc holder and diaphragm subassembly 13 and is adapted to be retained in the valve body 11 by means of the bonnet 30. Preferably, the bonnet 30 has external threads adapted to engage in an internally threaded opening 32 in the valve body and has an internally threaded opening 34 adapted to receive external threads on the valve stem 15.

The details of the disc valve and diaphragm subassembly do not form part of the present invention and, therefore, are not described with more particularity herein. Reference may be made to copending application Serial No. 411,349 filed on November 16, 1964, by Paul L. Tjossem for further description of such subassembly.

The present invention relates to the unique connection between the valve stem and the handwheel. By reference to FIGURE 1, it is seen that the valve stem 15 includes at its upper end (abovethe externally threaded portion engaged with bonnet 30) an enlarged portion 36, which is non-circular in cros section. Adjacent to the enlarged portion 36 of the valve stem 15 and spaced outwardly therefrom is a reduced portion 38 of generally circular cross section. A shoulder 40 of generally frustoconical configuration connects the exterior surf-ace of the non-circular enlarged portion 36 and the exterior of the reduced portion 38'. At the top of the valve stem, there is defined an enlarged rim 42 of generally circular configuration.

The handwheel 16 comprises a cap-like member molded integrally from a suitable plastic material as, for example, a fluorocarbon known as TEFLON or KEL-F or an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene polymer known as CYCOLAC. The handwheel 16 comprises a top 43 having a pair of annular depending rims or flanges 44 and 46 formed integrally therewith and depending therefrom. The annular rim 44 is provided with a plurality of lugs or projections 48 for facilitating gripping of the handwheel and thereby for facilitating rotation of the handwheel and the valve stem which is operatively afiixed thereto to selectively reciprocate the subassembly 13 toward and away from the valve seat 14. The depending annular flange or rim 46 is provided with a central opening therethrough. The opening includes a first portion 50 which is non-circular in cross section and which is complementary to the enlarged portion 36 on the valve stem. The wall of the handwheel 16 defining the opening also includes an angled wall portion 52 generally frusto-conical in cross section and conforming substantially to the configuration of the shoulder 40 on the valve stem 15. At the top, the wall portion 54 of the opening has substantially the same axial length as the reduced portion 38 on the valve stem and the configuration of the wall portion is complementary to the configuration of the portion 38 of the valve stem.

By reference to FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, there is more clearly shown the configuration of the handwheel cap member 16. The handwheel 16 is generally circular as viewed from the top or the bottom. Flange 44 on handwheel 16 is provided with a plurality of lugs 48 to facilitate gripping the handwheel.

The portion of the depending flange 46, which engages the enlarged portion 36 on the valve stem, is non-circular so as to operatively connect the handwheel to the valve stem and provide for rotation of the valve stem to effect selective engagement and removal of the valve disc carried on the disc holder and diaphragm subassembly 13 from the valve seat 14 in valve body 11.

In accordance with the present invention, unique means are provided for facilitating assembly of the handwheel tv the valve stem and for preventing disengagement of the handwheel from the valve stem. A pair of parallel slits 56 and 57 are provided in the top of the handwheel 16. The two slits 56 and 57, which are disposed parallel to one another and generally in alignment with the planar sides of the enlarged portion 36 of the valve stem, ex tent to a depth at least as great as the thickness of the top adjacent to the reduced portion 38 of the valve stem so as to provide a pair of opposed resilient finger extensions 58 and 59 on the cover or handwheel 16, The finger extensions 58 and 59 are spaced apart a distance equal to the width of the reduced portion 38' on the stem and are greater than the width of the enlarged rim 42 at the top of the stem. The fingers 58 and 59 are movable outwardly from the top to permit passage of the enlarged rim 42 through the opening in the handwheel 16 beyond the upper surface of the handwheel. Such fingers have sufiicient resiliency to spring back to their initial position and are then engaged beneath the enlarged rim 42 on the valve stem to prevent removal of the handwheel from the valve stem after assembly thereto.

A recess 60 may be formed in the top 43 of handwheel 16 (FIGURE 2) for receiving a suitable label or identification indicia.

In FIGURE 4, there is shown the position of the handwheel as it is positioned upon the valve stem. As the handwheel 16 is pushed downwardly with respect to the valve stem 15, the resilient fingers 58 and 59 yield upwardly. After the valve stem 15 is pushed through the opening defined between the opposed fingers and the top 43, the resilient fingers 58 and 59 move back to their initial unstressed position in engagement with the reduced portion 38 on the valve stem, with the top of the fingers 58 and 59 being engaged beneath the annular rim-like edge of the member 42 on the valve stem 15.

By the present invention, there has been provided a unique connection between a handwheel and a valve stem. The connection is easy to make, is permanent, and requires no tools to effect assembly of the handwheel to the valve stem.

While I have shown a preferred form of the invention, it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto since it may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a valve member having a valve stem including an elongated rod-like, non-circular portion, 8. reduced portion adjacent said non-circular portion, and an enlarged rim at the extremity of the valve stem adjacent said reduced portion and being of greater radial extent than the said reduced portion, and a handwheel made from plastic material adapted to be received permanently upon said valve stem and removable therefrom only upon breakage of said handwheel, said handwheel including a top and a depending annular rim having an opening therethrough, said opening being defined by wall means including a first non-circular portion complementary to the rod-like, non-circular portion on said valve stem, and a second portion of reduced diameter complementary to the reduced portion on-said valve stem, there being a shoulder defined between said first portion and said second portion for engaging with a corresponding shoulder formed on said valve stem between said non-circular portion and said reduced portion, said second portion being less in axial extent than said rod-like, non-circular portion, said top of said handwheel having a pair of opposed finger extensions formed integrally therewith and spaced apart a distance at least equal to the width of said reduced portion on said stem and greater than the width of said enlarged rim, said finger extensions being movable outwardly from said top to permit passage of said enlarged rim through said opening in said handwheel beyond the upper surface of said handwheel and being engaged beneath said enlarged rim to prevent removal of said handwheel from said valve stem after assembly thereto.

2. In a control valve, improved connecting means for permanently connecting a handwheel to a valve stem without the necessity of using any tools, said improved connecting means comprising said valve stem having an enlarged non-circular portion adjacent the handwheel-receiving end thereof, a reduced portion disposed adjacent to and outwardly from said enlarged portion and a rim at the extremity of said valve stem extending radially beyond said reduced portion, said handwheel being integrally molded from plastic and including a top, a first annular flange depending from said top and defining a valve stem receiving opening therethrough and a second annular depending flange adjacent the periphery of the handwheel and spaced from said first annular flange for providing gripping means for turning the handwheel, said opening in said first annular flange being defined by a non-circular wall complementary to the surface of said enlarged noncircular portion on said valve stem, and deformable finger means formed integrally with the top of said handwheel and spaced apart to define a wall complementary to the surface of said reduced portion, said finger means yielding outwardly from said top to permit insertion of said rim on said valve stem through said opening and for en-' gaging beneath said rim on said valve stem to prevent removal of said handwheel from said valve stem after connection of the handwheel to the valve stem.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 201,681 3/1878 Judd --55 1,548,122 8/1925 Dunham. 1,629,449 5/ 1927 Duffield 28753 2,339,664 1/1944 Tinnerman 16121 X 2,491,356 12/ 1949 Anderson 28753 FRED C. MATTERN, JR., Primary Examiner.

C. F. GREEN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A VALVE MEMBER HAVING A VALVE STEM INCLUDING AN ELONGATED ROD-LIKE, NON-CIRCULAR PORTION, A REDUCED PORTION ADJACENT SAID NON-CIRCULAR PORTION, AND AN ENLARGED RIM AT THE EXTREMITY OF THE VALVE STEAM ADJACENT SAID REDUCED PORTION AND BEING OF GREATER RADIAL EXTENT THAN THE SAID REDUCED PORTION, AND A HANDWHEEL MADE FROM PLASTIC MATERIAL ADAPTED TO BE RECEIVED PERMANENTLY UPON SAID VALVE STEM AND REMOVABLE THEREFROM ONLY UPON BREAKAGE OF SAID HANDWHEEL, SAID HANDWHEEL INCLUDING A TOP AND A DEPENDING ANNULAR RIM HAVING AN OPENING THERETHROUGH, SAID OPENING BEING DEFINED BY WALL MEANS INCLUDING A FIRST NON-CIRCULAR PORTION COMPLEMENTARY TO THE ROD-LIKE, NON-CIRCULAR PORTION ON SAID VALVE STEM, AND A SECOND PORTION OF REDUCED DIAMETER COMPLEMENTARY TO THE REDUCED PORTION ON SAID VALVE STEM, THERE BEING A SHOULDER DEFINED BETWEEN SAID FIRST PORTION AND SAID SECOND PORTION FOR ENGAGING WITH A CORRESPONDING SHOULDER FORMED ON SAID VALVE STEM BETWEEN SAID NON-CIRCULAR PORTION AND SAID REDUCED PORTION, SAID SECOND PORTION BEING LESS IN AXIAL EXTENT THAN SAID ROD-LIKE, NON-CIRCULAR PORTION, SAID TOP OF SAID HANDWHEEL HAVING A PAIR OF OPPOSED FINGER EXTENSIONS FORMED INTEGRALLY THEREWITH AND SPACED APART A DISTANCE AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF SAID REDUCED PORTION ON SAID STEM AND GREATER THAN THE WIDTH OF SAID ENLARGED RIM, SAID FINGER EXTENSIONS BEING MOVABLE OUTWARDLY FROM SAID TOP TO PERMIT PASSAGE OF SAID ENLARGED RIM THROUGH SAID OPENING IN SAID HANDWHEEL BEYOND THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID HANDWHEEL AND BEING ENGAGED BENEATH SAID ENLARGED RIM TO PREVENT REMOVAL OF SAID HANDWHEEL FROM SAID VALVE STEM AFTER ASSEMBLY THERETO. 